Chennai, July 1 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday said the Congress should clarify Rahul Gandhi’s statement that when his party comes to power it would abolish the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

During the discussion on the special calling attention motion on water crisis in the state Palaniswami wondered about the silence of Congress and DMK on Gandhi’s statement that “when Congress comes to power at the Centre a dam will be built across Cauvery river at Mekadatu and the CWMA will be abolished”.

Palaniswami said Gandhi has said this at a public rally in Karnataka during his Lok Sabha election campaign.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said the CWMA was set up after lengthy legal battle waged by the state government but Gandhi had said it will be abolished.

He also said as there is a Congress coalition government in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Congress leaders should demand release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Palaniswami said the Karnataka government is yet to release water as per the direction of CWMA.

Earlier, soon after speaking on the water crisis DMK chief M.K. Stalin raised the issue of Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi’s comments on the Chennai water crisis.

As his comments were expunged by Speaker P. Dhanapal, DMK members led by Stalin walked out of the house.

On Sunday, Bedi had tweeted: “Question with Possible Answers: India’s 6th largest city #Chennai has become d first city in d country to run dry. The same city was in floods due to copious rains just 4 yrs back. Where lies the problem? Ans: Poor Governance, Corrupt Politics, Indifferent Bureaucracy (sic).”